Dear Reader:

In Kate Wolfe-Jenson’s latest newsletter she talked about the beauty of God’s plan for the universe…prioritizing the importance of connections within all living organisms in the universe.

She gave the following example that I found quite interesting.

Recently, I learned about hepatica nobilis, one of the first wildflowers to bloom in the spring in Minnesota.

Hepatica seeds are attached to a fleshy lipid structure, which appeals to ants. The ants carry the seeds back to their nests, which spreads the plant more widely. [Image thanks to Biodiverse Gardens.- These structures are called elaisomes, which is a lovely word.]  

I invite you to play along with my metaphoric thinking: What treasures do you find and bring home as you move through your day? How can you be a better curator? How can your presence be nourishing to others?

I think, sometimes, we humans imagine ourselves as strong and certainly capable of getting through life alone when necessary. That thought only lasts as long as our health and financial stability remain constant. And we already know that nothing remains constant in life.

At some point our health will fail us and/or our finances will take a tumble and suddenly our confident “I can do it myself” attitude wavers. God never intended us to do it alone….His universe is based on sharing….giving….helping. Within each of us is a community waiting and wanting to interact with others.

Jenson  discovered this fact while writing her newsletter on the importance of connections:

Recent research agrees: When you feel connected, you are healthier and happier. It isn’t about how many friends you have or how much time you spend with them. It’s your subjective sense of connection that makes a difference. When you feel down, if you talk to someone about your troubles, it releases oxytocin into your system, which helps your immune and cardiovascular systems. You are biologically made for connection.

In Mary Alice Monroe’s latest novel (which I just finished) the theme of universal connective-ness runs throughout the story.

While going through a difficult divorce Dora discovers that doctors are now admitting that a broken heart can cause serious physical heart problems…medically known as cardiomyopathy.(which landed her in the hospital.)

The underlying theme, however, is man’s connection to God’s other creatures…in this case a dolphin named Delphine. After a disastrous accident while initially bonding with the dolphin…Delphine, in the latest novel, is once again living in the wild and has another female dolphin as a friend.

When Carson meets Delphine after many months absence….she lies flat down on her paddle board and they, both, stare into each other’s eyes with recognition and delight. The strongest force on earth, love, once again wins out amid all kinds of human obstacles.

With all my new Mother’s Day flowers  (like the ants spreading the Hepatica seeds back to their homes) I am digging away to find homes for my new plants. Spreading the joy of sight and scent! Thank everyone again for the garden’s newest contributions/additions, as well as my Happy Room!

So until tomorrow….As we move through our day, imagine we are all connected with a sort of spiritual elastic that stretches, bends and weaves us together. We belong to each other.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh